The Vatican today confirmed what has been rumoured for some time: a consistory for the creation of cardinals to be held on February 22nd next year.

The director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., made the following declaration this morning:

“On the occasion of the meeting of the 'Council of Cardinals' scheduled for early next October (1-3 October) and the subsequent meeting of the Synod Council (7-8 October), the Pope has informed the participants of his intention to convoke a Consistory for the creation of new cardinals on the occasion of the Feast of the Cathedral of St. Peter, 22 February. Pope Francis has decided to communicate his decision to convoke February's Consistory in advance in order to facilitate the planning of other meetings involving the participation of cardinals from different parts of the world.

Indeed, it is foreseen that the Pope, like his predecessors on other occasions, intends for the Consistory to be preceded by a meeting of the College of Cardinals.

Before this meeting – scheduled for the 17 and 18 February – there will take place the third meeting of the 'Council of Cardinals' (the so-called 'Eight Cardinals'), while after the Consistory, on 24 and 25 February, there will be the meeting of the Synod Council.

The next meeting of the Council of Cardinals for economic and organisational matters of the Holy See (the so-called 'Council of Fifteen') is expected to be scheduled as in previous years for the month of February, probably during the preceding week”.

Possible candidates for a "red hat" in the U.S. include Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, and Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles.

In the Vatican, very probable candidates are the new Vatican Secretary of State, Archbishop Pietro Parolin, and the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop Gerhard Mueller.

The Church in the UK has been without a non-retired cardinal, eligible to vote in a conclave, for some time. A leading candidate for a red hat there is Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster.

It’s really disturbing that there is so much disdain for truth, facts and reality in our media. Judging by the sources this reporter used, it is pathetic sloppy reporting (and editing).

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Irish woman could be Catholic Church’s first female cardinal, some scholars say

Linda Hogan has become the subject of widespread speculation that Pope Francis — who says the Catholic Church needs to develop ‘a truly deep theology of women’ — will someday choose her to break the Holy See’s stained-glass ceiling.

By Bill Hutchinson / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

She’s married and a feminist to boot, but Irish theologian Linda Hogan is being touted as a candidate to become the first female “prince” of the Catholic Church.

Hogan, 49, has become the subject of widespread speculation that Pope Francis will someday choose her to break the Holy See’s stained-glass ceiling.

The reformist Argentinian Pope, considered liberal on social issues, has made one of his top goals boosting the role of women in the Church, saying it needs to develop “a truly deep theology of women.”

Catholic scholar Juan Arias, a former Brazilian priest, was among the first to say the possibility of a woman cardinal was “not a joke.”

In an article Arias penned in September for the Spanish newspaper El Pais, he loaned credence to the idea by quoting an anonymous priest familiar with the pontiff’s thinking.

“Knowing this Pope, he wouldn’t hesitate before appointing a woman cardinal,” Arias said the priest told him. “And he would indeed enjoy being the first Pope to allow women to participate in the selection of a new pontiff.”

A Catholic canon law of 1917 restricts the Pope to appointing only ordained men to cardinals. But Pope Francis has the authority to ignore the law and select whomever he wants.

Francis is expected to name 14 new cardinals in February during his first meeting of the College of Cardinals.

“Stay calm, no nomination of women cardinals are due,” Pope spokesman Federic Lombardi said last week. And in any event, Hogan refused to discuss such an appointment

Hogan is vice provost of Trinity College in Dublin and a founding member of the International Association of Catholic Social Thought. She’s also the author of several books dealing with ethics, religion and gender, including “Feminist Catholic Theological Ethics: Conversations in the World Church.”

“One of her strong beliefs is something Pope Francis has been hinting at, too: that the basis of moral theology starts from human experience,” Dublin theologian Gina Menzies told the Mail Online.

Earlier this year, the Rev. James Keenan, a theologian at Boston College, solicited nominees on his Facebook page for the first female cardinal. Hogan’s name came out on top of the list.

Timothy Cardinal Dolan said it was “theoretically” possible for the Pope to appoint a woman cardinal.

“One time somebody said to Blessed John Paul II, ‘You should make Mother Teresa of Calcutta a cardinal.’ And the Pope said, ‘I asked her. She doesn’t want to be one.’”

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Edward Pentin

Edward Pentin began reporting on the Pope and the Vatican with Vatican Radio before moving on to become the Rome correspondent for the National Catholic Register. He has also reported on the Holy See and the Catholic Church for a number of other publications including Newsweek, Newsmax,Zenit, The Catholic Herald, and The Holy Land Review, a Franciscan publication specializing in the Church and the Middle East. Edward is the author of “The Rigging of a Vatican Synod? An Investigation into Alleged Manipulation at the Extraordinary Synod on the Family”, published by Ignatius Press. Follow him on Twitter @edwardpentin